I believe the best place to cool down after Trinidad Carnival is Tobago! Tobago is the secondary island 22 miles northeast of Trinidad.

Trinidad is the economic and political hub of the country. Trinidad is where the major decision-making happens. Tobago, on the other hand, is more remote. At only 115 square miles, it seemed as though I could see the entire island in a few days. I noticed that Tobago has a prominent tourism economy.

Transportation to Tobago

You can either fly to Tobago or ride on the inter-country ferry. I opted to fly and paid USD$68 for my roundtrip flight. It takes 25-minutes to fly to Tobago and the ferry takes approximately 2 hours. If you’re short on time, I’d recommend flying. Be warned: cellphones have to be turned off if you’re in line at immigration. You don’t want to get yelled at by a Trini auntie in uniform. As for transportation around the island, they rely on cabs. The island is very walkable. I walked from Store Bay to my hotel in Crown Point. I even walked to the club from my hotel. That’s how close everything is.

Things to do

Tobago is paradise. Trinidad is hustle and bustle, it’s the birthplace of carnival, and major producer of oil and gas. Tobago is everything I imagined paradise to be. Fresh lobster, sailing on pristine water, reggae and soca music blaring. In Tobago, I went jet skiing, snorkeling, saw Buccoo Reef and Nylon Pool. You can also go horseback riding in the ocean!

Tobagonians are some of the kindest people I’ve ever encountered. As a solo female traveler, I felt very safe and welcomed. I stayed at The Shepherd’s Inn. The hotel rooms are individual cabanas. The hotel was impeccably clean and well-attended. The cabanas were very spacious! It felt so great to support a Black-owned business! I’d definitely recommend this place. The service is top-notch!

View this post on Instagram

First time jet skiing in Tobago. If I knew Trinidad & Tobago would be the only country I’d visit in 2020, I would’ve gone harder! 👊🏾🇹🇹

A post shared by GabarIskuFilan✈️ (@gabariskufilan_) on Jul 7, 2020 at 8:54am PDT

View this post on Instagram

“Road trips are the equivalent of human wings. Ask me to go on one, anywhere.” ~ Victoria Erickson 🚙 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Roadtrips are my favorite pastime after vegging out on a beach. I might not like to drive under normal circumstances but give me an empty road and a loose itinerary with the potential to venture off course and I’m golden! 🗺 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m partial to Tobago’s North Coast Road because you’re bound to encounter spectacular ocean views – like this one of Englishman’s Bay. 🏝 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Please note the scene is a million times more gorgeous in person!!! That’s why it’s no surprise that this stretch of coastline made it on @kiwicom247’s readers’ choice top 9 beaches for 2019. I mean just look at it!!! 😍 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I know road trips aren’t for everyone, but if you’re a fan of roaming the open road, tell me, where’s your favorite route and why? 🛣 📷: @simplytinielle . . . . #TrinidadandTobago #trinidadandtobago🇹🇹 #Tobago #visitTobago #101reasonstobago #Caribbean #roadtrippers #wearetravelgirls #girlslovetravel #Caribbeantravel #girlsthatwander #herwanderfullife #blacktravelfeed #upintheairlife #damestravel #getlostnow #blackgirlstraveltoo #blacktraveljourney #theeverygirltravels #jetsettingchicks #travelinladies #womenwholiveonrocks #followthesun #iamtraveler #nomadgirls #sistersandsuitcases #bestviews #locsandluggage #girlswhotravel #gwt

A post shared by 🌴 Island Girl In-Transit 🌴 (@islandgirlintransit) on Oct 14, 2019 at 6:48am PDT

I would highly recommend visiting Tobago! I knew I had to visit both islands to get the full picture of Trinidad & Tobago. Visiting Tobago after carnival was the perfect way to relax and rejuvenate. Have you been to Tobago?

I launched GabarIskuFilan to capture my experiences as I document Black liberation from the perspective of solo female traveler. For the month of August, I will be posting a blog every day about a plethora of topics: solo female travel, Black liberation, politics, carnival, womanhood and immigration. Stay tuned! This will be a transformative experience!